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  • Edition #46 | 9 Exercise Swaps to Build Muscle Faster

Edition #46 | 9 Exercise Swaps to Build Muscle Faster

Plus: the perfect push workout, why this one diet is superior, and more.

March 12, 2024

Good morning and welcome to The Weekly Rep, the official newsletter of fitness. Shoutout to the new readers this week! We now have 15,200 readers.

In today’s edition:

  • 9 exercise swaps to build muscle faster

  • Answers to popular heart health questions

  • 10 muscle-building mistakes to avoid

  • 5 tips to meal prep like a pro

  • Must-know longevity advice

Let’s dive in 💥

IN THE NEWS 
WEEKLY WORKOUTS

9 Exercise Swaps to Build Muscle Faster

Do you ever wonder if you’re getting the maximum benefits from the exercises in your routine? Yeah, us too. It made us wonder: How can we get more out of what we’re already doing?

Luckily, we didn’t have to go too far down the rabbit hole. One of our favorite fitness gurus, Joe Delaney, released a video recently breaking down some of the most popular strength exercises and their superior counterparts.

Curious to see if you’re already doing them? Check out the video!

The Perfect Push Workout

When you first began lifting, you likely heard of the push-pull-legs routine. If you follow this routine now or are looking to adjust your training schedule, this science-backed push workout from Jeff Nippard is up there with the best workouts we’ve come across.

So whether you’re relatively new to lifting or a seasoned pro, this workout will challenge anyone (and build muscle quickly!).

Steal This Personal Trainer’s Favorite TRX Exercises

TRX, short for Total Body Resistance Exercise, is a versatile and effective training system that utilizes suspension straps to engage your muscles in unique ways. You might’ve seen these yellow and black straps hanging around your gym, but even if you’ve never seen or heard of TRX exercises, you can still get a killer workout. 

To help get you started, we asked NASM-certified trainer and TRX expert Kate Galustyan for a few of her favorite moves. From your delts to your hamstrings, click here to see a full list of everything she recommends to create a TRX workout that’ll tone, strengthen and stabilize your entire body. 

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PROFILE

What is Functional Bodybuilding?

Have you ever asked yourself why you work out? Is it because you want to have an aesthetically pleasing body? Or because it makes your body feel strong? Or maybe it’s your way of calming your mind and relieving stress. Ask most people this question, and you’ll probably get an answer that’s a mixture of these three options. 

But now ask yourself this: how many times do you leave the gym with a lingering injury, or push through pain during a workout? How often do you look in the mirror, and wonder why you’re not seeing progress even though you’re burning calories and doing everything right? 

It makes no sense that so many of us use exercise as a way to feel and look good, but are too often faced with pain, stress, burn out and frustration when it comes to our workouts. 

It kind of makes you wonder if there’s a better way to train, right? Well that belief is how functional bodybuilding came to be. 

THINGS TO…
…DO 🙌

Follow This Longevity Advice

Perhaps the most well known name on the topic of longevity, Dr. Peter Attia breaks down things people can do to live longer in this 10-minute clip from Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcast. From topics like increasing your muscle mass to cardiorespiratory fitness, learn several key principles of longevity.

…AVOID ❌

These 10 Muscle-Building Mistakes

If you’re wondering why you aren’t seeing results, chances are it’s because of one of these 10 muscle-building mistakes. Broken down by exercise scientist Dr. Mike Israetel, you’ll learn everything you need to know from this single video to maximize your time inside (and outside) the gym!

…DRINK 🧋

Healthy Smoothies You Enjoy

Smoothies are an easy, healthy meal replacement option! But instead of providing you with a few healthy smoothie recipes, creator Joshua Weissman aims to teach you how to make any smoothie you desire in this video. He covers the elements that make a great smoothie, how to easily prepare them at home, and more. So sit back, kick your feet up, and learn to make delicious smoothies.

…FIX 💪

Your Calf Raises

You may not think about your calf muscles often, but they play an incredibly important role in your overall balance and ankle stability. It’s the reason most lower body strength workouts include calf raises. Arguably the best exercise for targeting your calves, it’s an exercise many people mess up. Watch the short video below for simple tips to get the full benefits of calf raises.

…KNOW 🥘

5 Tips to Meal Prep Like a Pro

While there’s no denying that living a healthy lifestyle does take a little extra time and effort (it’s worth it, we promise), there are a few things you can do to make it easier, such as meal prepping. We asked meal prep expert Leslie Stokes, who’s known for her meal prep recipes that can be made in one hour or less, what she does to meal prep like a pro. Ready to hear her secrets?

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